By Young Se Choi ’18, Staff Writer

When it comes to sporting events, nothing compares to the spotlight that the Olympics offers athletes. With approximately 10,500 athletes participating in this year’s games and millions of viewers each day, the 2016 Rio Olympics was a global spectacle. Whether you were cheering for the star-studded USA basketball team or supporting the extremely talented and young USA gymnastics team, it is fair to say that the United States athletes represented their country extremely well, as the athletes took home a total of 121 medals. Despite this accomplishment, on the morning of August 14, Ryan Lochte, a 12-time Olympic medalist and star member of the USA swim team, changed the perception of US Olympians; unfortunately, it was not for his performance in the pool, but rather for his out-of-the-pool behavior.

After a long night celebrating an Olympic swimming event, Ryan Lochte, along with three of his teammates, Jimmy Feigen, Gunnar Bentz, and Jack Conger, decided to go to a gas station in search of a bathroom. However, on the morning of the next day, Lochte’s mother, Ileana Lochte, reported to USA TODAY Sports that her son had been robbed while at the gas station. Later that day, Lochte and Feigen claimed in an interview on the Today Show that he was, in fact, robbed and held at gunpoint on the sidewalk in the streets of Rio. They also mentioned that the armed men demanded payment for alleged vandalism of their bathroom. At this moment in time, spectators of the Olympics began to question if hosting the Olympics in Rio was a good idea, as they began to fear for the athletes’ safety. The citizens of Rio had already had to deal with news headlines regarding air and water pollution, diseases, violence, and crime; and now, one of the highest profile American athletes claimed to have been robbed at gun point.

Days later, an investigation on this particular incident was released, and Rio law enforcement officials found that Lochte had not only exaggerated the story, but actually fabricated much of it. Although Lochte was held at gun point, he was never robbed or mugged as he initially claimed. The owner of the gas station reported that Lochte and his fellow teammates vandalized the bathroom by breaking a soap dispenser, damaging a door, tearing down a sign, and urinating around the premises of the bathroom. It was for these reasons that Lochte and his teammates were confronted by the police. However, despite his wrongdoings, Lochte continued to act belligerently and aggressively, as the police had reported. It was at this moment when the police decided to pull out their guns. So not only was Lochte not robbed, he was actually the one committing a crime.

As one can imagine, this controversy created national outrage in both the United States and in Brazil. In the United States, people were ashamed that Ryan Lochte represented their nation in such a poor way. In Brazil, people were rightfully angry at Lochte for attempting to ruin the reputation of Rio and its people by claiming a false robbery. Not only did he receive national shame for his actions, but corporations such as Speedo and Ralph Lauren ended their lucrative endorsements with Lochte.  Finally, to top it all off, the 12-time medalist also received a 10-month suspension from swimming, which disallows him from competing in the 2017 World Championships. In an interview with Today, Lochte admitted that his “immature, intoxicated behavior tarnished” a great Olympic games.

When I asked senior Newark Academy swimmer Alex Chang what he thought of the incident, he said, “I thought his actions were unacceptable. The fact that he goes into another country and lies about an alleged robbery when, really, he is the one at fault is disappointing.” I also got the chance to talk to a Newark Academy swimmer, Ryan Gajarawala, about what he thought of the 10-month suspension following his incident. He said, “Personally, I am unsure about how long his sentence should be because I don’t know much about the Brazilian judicial system. However, I can definitely see why this penalty is necessary because he represented our country in a bad light and damaged both countries’ reputations as well.”

As part-time athletes, here at Newark Academy, we must be wary of our actions off the field, pool, court, or pitch. As senseless as Lochte’s actions were, we must remember that this can happen to any of us if we don’t consider the repercussions of our actions. As this controversy shows, one mistake, such as the one Lochte made, can alter an entire career or lifetime.